Sand bottle handle and mounting feature

ABSTRACT

A sand bottle assembly on a golf car includes a bottle and a mounting bracket. The bottle is defined by a longitudinal hollow body having a bottom portion and a top portion. The hollow body defines a vertical axis. A spout is formed at the top portion and is adapted to dispense sand contained in the hollow body. An extension portion is disposed along a sidewall of the hollow body. The extension portion includes a raised sidewall portion. The mounting bracket is adapted to be connected to the golf car and matingly receive the extension portion of the bottle in an installed position. The mounting bracket defines an engaging portion adapted to engage and retain the raised sidewall of the extension portion in a secure position along the vertical axis in the installed position.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/373,874, filed on Mar. 10, 2006. The entire disclosure of the aboveapplication is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to golf cars and more specifically to asand bottle mounting arrangement on a golf car.

BACKGROUND

Golf cars provide transportation for golfers around a golf course. Agolf car must also securely carry a golf bag in a location forconvenient access throughout a round of golf. Typically, the rearwardportion of the golf car defines a golf bag carrier area that supportsthe golf bag or bags in a centrally upright orientation. In some golfcar arrangements, a sand container such as a bucket or bottle may beretained near the golf bag carrier area, or elsewhere on the golf car.The sand container may include grass seed for applying to areas ofdamaged turf such as after a golf shot.

In one arrangement, a bucket may have a closeable lid and a removablescoop. In other arrangements, a sand bottle may be selectively retainedin a vertical orientation by a mounting bracket. Typically such mountingbrackets may surround the bottle entirely in an installed position suchthat it is difficult to access how much sand is available in the bottle.In addition, typically the sand bottle may be placed into the installedposition simply by dropping the bottle vertically until a bottom portionlands on a horizontal platform of the bracket. As such, there is nogripping or locking action between the bottle and the bracket whenplaced in the installed position. In this way, there is no perceivedfeedback to the user that the bottle has been sufficiently retained bythe bracket.

SUMMARY

A sand bottle assembly on a golf car includes a bottle and a mountingbracket. The bottle is defined by a longitudinal hollow body having abottom portion and a top portion. The hollow body defines a verticalaxis. A spout is formed at the top portion and is adapted to dispensesand contained in the hollow body. An extension portion is disposedalong a sidewall of the hollow body. The extension portion includes araised sidewall portion. The mounting bracket is adapted to be connectedto the golf car and matingly receive the extension portion of the bottlein an installed position. The mounting bracket defines an engagingportion adapted to engage and retain the raised sidewall of theextension portion in a secure position along the vertical axis in theinstalled position.

Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will becomeapparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It shouldbe understood that the detailed description and specific examples, whileindicating the preferred embodiment of the disclosure, are intended forpurposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope ofthe disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure will become more fully understood from thedetailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sand bottle assembly according to thepresent teachings;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a sand bottle and bracket of the assemblyshown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2 illustratingthe bottle moving toward an installed position;

FIG. 4 is the sectional view of FIG. 3 shown with the bracket deflectingoutwardly to accept the bottle as the bottle is advanced toward aninstalled position; and

FIG. 5 is the sectional view of FIG. 3 shown with the bottle retained bythe bracket in an installed position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description of the various embodiments is merely exemplaryin nature and is in no way intended to limit the disclosure, itsapplication, or uses.

With initial reference to FIG. 1, a sand bottle assembly is shown andgenerally identified at reference numeral 10. The sand bottle assembly10 includes a sand bottle 12 and a mounting bracket 14. The mountingbracket 14 may be mounted vertically in a secure position to a vehiclesuch as a golf car (not shown). As will be described in greater detailherein, the sand bottle 12 and mounting bracket 14 according to variousembodiments each have cooperating features allowing the sand bottle 12to be matingly received by the mounting bracket 14 in a secure installedposition.

With continued reference to FIG. 1 and further reference to FIG. 2, thesand bottle 12 will be described in greater detail. The sand bottle 12is generally defined by a longitudinal hollow body 18 having a bottomportion 20, an intermediate portion 22, and a top portion 24. The bottomportion 20 includes a bottom surface 26. The top portion 24 includes anannular shoulder portion 30 leading to a neck portion 32. In oneembodiment, the top portion 24 may be removed from the rest of the sandbottle 12 to empty or refill the contents of the sand bottle 12. Theneck portion 32 terminates at an opening defining a spout 36. The spout36 can be generally oriented at a right angle with respect to the hollowbody 18 of the bottle 12. It is appreciated that the shoulder portion 30and/or spout 36 may be oriented differently.

With specific reference now to FIG. 2, an extension portion 38 is formedalong a sidewall 40 of the hollow body 18. The extension portion 38extends from a first end 42 to a second end 44 defining a longitudinalmember 46. The longitudinal member 46 may define a radial profile in thelongitudinal plane from the first end 42 to the second end 44. Theextension portion includes a raised sidewall 48. As used herein, theraised sidewall 48 may be referred to as a first engaging portion 50 forcooperating with the mounting bracket 14 in an installed position. Thefirst end 42 includes a generally sloped section 52 leading from theannular shoulder portion 30 to the extension portion 38. As depicted inthe drawings, the raised sidewall 48 is formed at the second end 44.

The raised sidewall 48 is further defined by a leading edge 54 and atrailing edge 56 (FIGS. 3 and 4). It is appreciated that the raisedsidewall 48 may be formed elsewhere on the extension portion 38.Furthermore, while the raised sidewall 48 is illustrated as a continuoussection of the longitudinal member 46 (FIGS. 3 and 4), the raisedsidewall 48 may alternatively comprise a separate component suitablyattached to the longitudinal member 46. The sand bottle 12 may be formedof a rigid lightweight material such as, but not limited to,polypropylene.

With reference now to all the FIGS., the mounting bracket 14 will now bedescribed. The mounting bracket 14 generally includes a receiving slot58, a lower platform 60, an upper retaining ring 62 and a lowerretaining ring 64. The receiving slot 58 generally defines a u-channel66. The u-channel 66 includes a pair of opposing annular sections 68.The upper retaining ring 62 connects on opposite ends to the opposingannular sections 68. The lower retaining ring 64 connects on a loweredge 70 to a platform 72. A second engaging portion 80 is defined by anannular protrusion 82 formed around the annular sections 68. The annularprotrusion 82 is further defined by an outboard radial surface 84 and aninboard radial surface 86. The mounting bracket 14 may be formed of arigid material such as metal or polypropylene for example.

As will be described, the second engaging portion 80 of the mountingbracket 14 selectively mates with the first engaging portion 50 (raisedsidewall 48) of the bottle 12 to retain the bottle 12 into the installedposition. With specific reference to FIGS. 3-5, installation of thebottle 12 in the bracket 14 will now be described. At the outset, thebottom portion 20 of the sand bottle 12 is substantially aligned to bereceived by the upper retaining ring 62. Concurrently, the sand bottle12 can be rotated around its vertical axis such that the extensionportion 38 is substantially aligned to be received by the u-channel 66of the mounting bracket 14. As a result, the orientation of the sandbottle 12 relative to the mounting bracket 14 may substantially resemblethe configuration shown in FIG. 2.

Next, the sand bottle 12 is advanced vertically downwardly such that thebottom portion 20 is received by the upper ring 62. The sand bottle 12is then progressively advanced downwardly until the raised sidewall 48of the longitudinal member 46 is captured under the annular protrusion82 of the mounting bracket 14. More specifically, the leading edge 54 ofthe raised sidewall 48 initially engages the outboard radial surface 84of the annular protrusion 82. As the bottle 12 is advanced downward, theannular protrusion 82 may deflect slightly outward as the raisedsidewall 48 advances therealong (FIG. 4). In some embodiments, theraised sidewall 48 alone, or alternatively, both of the annularprotrusion 82 and the raised sidewall 48 may deflect slightly (theraised sidewall 48 deflecting inwardly) to allow the raised sidewall 48to pass under the annular protrusion 82 (FIG. 5). A secure installedposition is attained when the trailing edge 56 of the raised sidewall 48is captured by the inboard radial surface 80 of the engaging portion 82.The raised sidewall 48 of the bottle 12 and the annular protrusion 82 ofthe mounting bracket 14 define an interference fit in the installedposition (FIG. 5). It is appreciated that advancing the bottle 12 intothe installed position may provide feedback to the user duringinteraction between the respective first and second engaging portions50, 80. In this way, the arrangement can provide positive feedback thatthe bottle 12 has been secured to the mounting bracket 14 in theinstalled position. As best illustrated in FIGS. 2-5, the raisedsidewall 48 formed at the second end 44 of the extension portion 38 isoffset from the bottom surface 26 of the bottle 12. As a result, theextension portion 38 is laterally spaced upward from the platform 72 inthe installed position (FIG. 5).

To remove the sand bottle 12 from the mounting bracket 14, the bottle 12is advanced upwardly such that the raised sidewall 48 may pass over theannular protrusion 82 of the mounting bracket 14. The bottle 12 is thenfurther advanced upwardly until the bottom portion 20 clears the upperring 62 of the bracket 14.

Those skilled in the art can now appreciate from the foregoingdescription that the broad teachings of the present disclosure can beimplemented in a variety of forms. For example, while the first andsecond engaging portions have been described as a raised sidewall and anannular protrusion, respectively, other configurations are contemplatedfor attaining an interference fit between the bottle and the mountingbracket. Furthermore, while the first engaging portion has beendescribed as part of the longitudinal member and the second engagingportion has been described as part of the u-channel, it is appreciatedthat they may be formed elsewhere on the bottle and bracket. Forexample, the raised sidewall may be formed entirely on the hollow bodyand the annular protrusion formed entirely on one of the rings. In suchan example, the longitudinal member and u-channel may be excluded fromthe assembly. Therefore, while this disclosure has been described inconnection with particular examples thereof, the true scope of thedisclosure should not be so limited since other modifications willbecome apparent to the skilled practitioner upon a study of thedrawings, the specification and the following claims.

1. A sand bottle assembly on a golf car comprising: a bottle defined bya longitudinal hollow body having an outer periphery, the bottledefining an opening formed thereon, the bottle having an extensionportion extending parallel to the longitudinal hollow body and outsideof the outer periphery, the extension portion defining a cavity forreceiving sand; a first engaging portion defined on the bottle; amounting bracket adapted to be connected to the golf car and receive thebottle in an installed position; and a second engaging portion definedon the mounting bracket adapted to slidably receive and retain the firstengaging portion of the bottle in an interference fit.
 2. The sandbottle assembly of claim 1 wherein the second engaging portion includesan annular protrusion on the mounting bracket.
 3. The sand bottleassembly of claim 2 wherein the first engaging portion includes a raisedsidewall extending generally transverse to a longitudinal axis of thehollow body and extending beyond the outer periphery of the longitudinalhollow body, the raised sidewall having a leading and trailing edge,wherein the raised sidewall urges the annular protrusion outwardlyduring advancement of the bottle to the installed position.
 4. The sandbottle of claim 3 wherein the annular protrusion of the mounting bracketcontacts the trailing edge in the installed position.
 5. A sand bottleassembly on a golf car comprising: a bottle defined by a longitudinalhollow body having an opening formed thereon; an extension portiondefining a longitudinal member extending generally parallel to an axisdefined by the longitudinal hollow body of the bottle, the longitudinalmember extending from a first end to a second end; a raised sidewallportion that extends beyond the longitudinal hollow body; a mountingbracket adapted to be connected to the golf car and receive the bottlein an installed position; and an engaging portion formed on the mountingbracket adapted to engage and bottle in a secure position.
 6. The sandbottle assembly of claim 5 wherein the raised sidewall portion createsan interference fit with the engaging portion of the mounting bracket inthe installed position.
 7. The sand bottle of claim 6 wherein the raisedsidewall defines a leading edge and a trailing edge and wherein theengaging portion of the mounting bracket contacts the trailing edge inthe installed position.
 8. A sand bottle assembly on a golf carcomprising: a bottle defined by a longitudinal hollow body having abottom portion and a top portion, the longitudinal hollow body defininga vertical axis; a spout formed at the top portion and adapted todispense sand contained in the hollow body; an extension portiondisposed along a sidewall of the hollow body and defining a longitudinalmember extending generally parallel to the vertical axis, thelongitudinal member extending from a sloped section formed at a firstend to a second end, the extension portion having an engaging portion;and a mounting bracket adapted to be connected to the golf car andmatingly receive the engaging portion of the bottle in an installedposition, wherein the mounting bracket defines an annular protrusionadapted to engage and retain the engaging portion of the extensionportion in a secure position along the vertical axis in the installedposition, the mounting bracket including an upper ring surrounding theupper portion of the bottle in the installed position and a lower ringsurrounding the bottom portion of the bottle in the installed position.9. The sand bottle of claim 8 wherein the longitudinal member generallydefines a radial profile in a plane transverse to the vertical axis. 10.The sand bottle of claim 9 wherein the longitudinal member extends froma first end at an upper portion of the bottle to a second end at anintermediate portion of the bottle, wherein the second end of thelongitudinal member is offset from the bottom portion of the bottle. 11.The sand bottle of claim 10 wherein the engaging portion includes araised sidewall portion that is formed at the second end of thelongitudinal member.
 12. The sand bottle of claim 11 wherein the raisedsidewall portion creates an interference fit with the engaging portionof the mounting bracket in the installed position.
 13. The sand bottleof claim 12 wherein the raised sidewall portion defines a leading edgeand a trailing edge and wherein the engaging portion of the mountingbracket contacts the trailing edge in the installed position.
 14. Thesand bottle of claim 13 wherein the mounting bracket generally defines au-channel and wherein the annular protrusion is formed thereon.
 15. Thesand bottle of claim 12 wherein the mounting bracket is operable toslidably receive the raised sidewall portion in a secure position as thebottle is advanced in a direction along the vertical axis.
 16. The sandbottle assembly of claim 11 wherein the raised sidewall portion definesa first width and the engaging portion defines a second width, the firstwidth being greater than the second width while the bottle is retainedin the secure position.